Purple Dottyback

Purple Dottyback Temperament

 

This beautiful little fish can make tremendous additions to your aquarium, but they can be aggressive. Purple Dottyback don't mix well in captive situations with other dottyback or basslets. Because it can be territorial and potentially aggressive towards similar-looking species, it's best to keep just a single Purple Dottyback in each aquarium.

 

Feeding the Purple Dottyback

 

Purple Dottyback are initially a little tricky to get feeding, but once acclimated to their tank they will accept most foods, including frozen artemia, mysis and dried flakes. They are carnivorous and also enjoy meaty foods such as mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, finely chopped seafoods and other frozen preparations. Providing a variety of foods will make the healthiest fish.

Purple Dottyback Origination and Current Locations

In the wild, Purple Dottyback can be found in the Western and South Pacific waters anywhere from 3 feet deep to 60 feet deep. Because they were so difficult to capture and safely import to the United States, aquarium experts began successfully captive breeding them to make them more available to hobby aquarium keepers.

Purple Dottyback Breeding

All dottybacks are hermaphrodites, including Purple Dottyback. Since each fish can adopt either male or female sexual organs, adding two like species into a tank together will result in a pair. Spawning in home aquariums is becoming more frequent. Depending on the species, up to 1,000 or more eggs are laid by the female, but if the aquarium owner would like to know more about raising the resulting fry, further research is needed.

Tank Requirements for Purple Dottyback

A home aquarium with plenty of hiding spaces, crevices and caves is required for the Purple Dottyback. Because of their tendency to be aggressive toward other fish of their species and similar species, it's best to keep only one Purple Dottyback in the tank at a time. Gobies, blennies, small wrasses and other non-aggressive fish would be in danger of harassment, while surgeonfish and triggers will create a more reclusive dottyback. Tank conditions need to be pH 8.3, 35 ppt salinity and 24-26 degrees Celcius.